28022019-CT-01.qxd 2/28/2019 1:03 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh TRIBUNE THURSDAY | 28 FEBRUARY 2019 | CHANDIGARH EDU DEPT FINDS BHAVAN VIDYALAYA AT FAULT PAGE 2 Department directs DEO to take action against Bhavan Vidyalaya-27 over Class VI entrance test. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY INBRIEF THEFT REPORTED FROM HOUSE Chandigarh: A theft was reported from a house in Sector 7 on February 26 from where gold jewellery worth several lakhs, other valuables and cash were stolen. According to the police, complainant Sarwanjit reported that the thief entered his house after breaking the locks and stole a bag containing a gold necklace, a pair of gold earrings, a gold tikka, a gold bangle, two wrist watches, a wallet containing documents and ~3,000 and some clothes. The police were informed, who visited the spot. A case has been registered at the Sector 26 police station. TNS POWER SHUTDOWN PANCHKULA Sector 14: 10 am to 3 pm TRICITY FUEL PRICES PETROL DIESEL CHANDIGARH ~67.83 ~63.82 PANCHKULA ~71.92 ~66.18 MOHALI ~72.39 ~66.85 WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH LECTURE: Department of Anthropology, PU, to organise 1st Prof SRK Chopra Memorial Lecture; Seminar hall of the department; 12 noon CONFERENCE: University Institute of Applied Management Sciences, PU, to organise national conference, “Start-Up India, Stand Up India”; UIAMS; 10 am to 11:30 am APNI MANDI: Sector 34, 56 and Ram Darbar MOHALI APNI MANDI: Phase 8 PANCHKULA APNI MANDI: Sector 5 P’kula man dies of swine flu Tribune News Service Panchkula, February 27 One more person died of swine flu last evening, taking the toll to three in the district so far. A 44-yearold patient, Sandeep Madan, a resident of Sector 9 here, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sector 26. The number of patients diagnosed with the disease at the Panchkula Civil Hospital has reached 20 during the past two months. Officials of the Health Department said city residents had been advised to take care of personal hygiene and avoid any contact with a person suspected to be suffering from swine flu. Awareness about the virus and precautions would play a great role in curbing the spread of the disease, they added. The Civil Surgeon, Dr Yogesh Sharma, said they had not received information regarding the swine flu death at the private hospital. He said almost all patients, who had died because of swine flu, were suffering from chronic ailments and had reached the hospital in advanced stages. PAGE 3 257-PAGE CHARGESHEET FILED IN BARWALA MURDERS Police file another chargesheet in the sensational murder case at Khatauli village near Barwala. MAX 20°C | MIN 8°C | YESTERDAY MAX 18.2°C | MIN 10.1°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6:20 PM Six city-based specially abled athletes to represent the country in Summer World Games in Abu Dhabi. SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:40 AM TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD Pilot from city among dead J&K helicopter crash: Was fourth generation officer in armed forces Tribune News Service FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE High Court rap for Zirakpur society Orders inspection of lifts by MC EO Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 27 A pall of gloom descended on the Sector 44 residence of Squadron Leader Siddharth Vashisht, one of the pilots of the ill-fated Mi-17 helicopter that crashed at Budgam near Srinagar today, killing six IAF personnel and a civilian. A fourth generation officer in the armed forces, who was commissioned in 2010, the 31-year-old pilot is survived by his wife, Aarti, who is also a Squadron Leader posted at Srinagar, and twoyear old son Angad, besides his parents and three sisters. He was the youngest of four siblings. His wife was on leave at Gurugram and is rushing back here. According to Air Force officials, his mortal remains will be airlifted to Chandigarh tomorrow and the last rites will be held here. Family members said Siddharth had studied at Shivalik Public School in Sector 41 and thereafter at DAV College before opting to A file photo of Squadron Leader Siddharth Vashisht with his wife Aarti and son Angad; and (right) his father mourns his death at their house in Sector 44, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. VICKY join the forces. He was adventurous and fond of outdoor life and was keen to be a flier. His father, Jagdish Kasal, had served in the Army before joining Punjab National Bank as an officer. In fact, his maternal uncle, Vineet Bhardwaj, was a MiG-21 pilot, who died in an air crash about 17 years ago. WIFE ALSO A SQUADRON LEADER A fourth generation officer in the armed forces, who was commissioned in 2010, the 31-year-old pilot, Squadron Leader Siddharth Vashisht, is survived by his wife, Aarti, who is also a Squadron Leader posted at Srinagar, and two-year-old son Angad, besides his parents and three sisters. He was the youngest of four siblings. . His uncle had been an inspiration for him. Siddharth had been posted to a helicopter unit in Srinagar in July last and prior to this he was based at Coimbatore. He was also part of the IAF rescue oper- ations during the floods in Kerela recently. Family members said he had received a commendation for his services on January 26, besides other awards for his performance. His family originally belongs to Hamidpur village near Naraingarh and had shifted to Chandigarh about a year ago. No leave for Guv reviews response cops till further orders Security beefed up at airport amid Indo-Pak tension mechanism Eleven flights cancelled Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 27 In the wake of the rising tension between Indian and Pakistan, the UT police today decided that police personnel will not be allowed to go on leave till further orders. Sources said police personnel had been told that they would not be given leave till the time there was an alert. Police officials said patrolling had been intensified to avoid any untoward incident. PCR teams and other wings of the police have been asked to check suspicious vehicles. The police have also been directed to patrol crowded places. Armed police personnel have also been stationed at crowded places. Instructions to check the vehicles entering the city have also been passed to police stations. “Patrolling in the city, especially night patrolling, has been intensified,” said a police official. Mohali, February 27 Escalation in tension between India and Pakistan led to the cancellation of at least 11 flights, including the Chandigarh-Dubai flight, at the airport in Mohali today. The Indigo ChandigarhDubai flight could not take off from the local airport apparently due to the ongoing tension between the two neighbouring countries. “The entire northern region is on red alert and the international flight stood cancelled due to security reasons. The Chandigarh-Dubai flight goes over Pakistan and it did not take off today,” said sources. The sources said international flight operations would resume tomorrow. Apart from the international flight, the other Indigo flights which were cancelled today included Chandigarh-Delhi, Chandigarh-Bengaluru and Chandigarh-Hyderabad. Chandigarh, February 27 Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badore today held a highlevel coordination meeting at the Punjab Raj Bhavan with top officials of Punjab, Haryana and the Chandigarh Administration to review the arrangements and response mechanism in the eventuality of any emergency arising out of the current escalated situation between India and Pakistan. Advising the administrative mechanism in the tricity region to be kept on maximum alert, he said at this juncture, there was no reason to panic. All institutions, including schools, colleges, offices and commercial establishments, in the city will remain open and function as usual. The Governor said the situation would be kept under constant watch and would be reviewed on a dayto-day basis. Passengers return after some flights were cancelled at the airport in Mohali. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY QRTs STATIONED In the backdrop of escalating tension between India and Pakistan, the security at the local airport has been beefed up substantially. Along with CISF officials, around 50 personnel of the Mohali police have been keeping a strict vigil there. Four Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), a bus equipped with CCTV cameras and a bomb disposal team have also been stationed at the airport. “All vehicles coming to the airport are being checked before entering. The security has been beefed during the past couple of days,” said Inspector HS Bal, SHO of the Airport police station. . Flights of other airlines from the city to different destinations, including Lucknow, Srinagar, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi, were also cancelled. Air India’s PAGE 6 SPECIALLY ABLED ATHLETES FOR SUMMER WORLD GAMES Kullu-Chandigarh flight was cancelled due to bad weather, said the sources. A spokesperson for the airport said today the continued on p3 Chandigarh, February 27 Taking a serious view of a residential society’s decision not to throw open elevators to its residents, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has slapped costs of Rs 10,000. The Bench also directed the Zirakpur MC Executive Officer to visit Astha Apartments along with an expert. “If the lifts are found to be in order, these shall be opened to the residents,” Justice Nirmaljit Kaur of the High Court asserted. The directions came on a contempt of court petition filed by Indu Sharma. Taking up the matter, the Bench, in December last year, directed its assistant supervising the functioning of lifts in the High Court, Ashish Solanki, to visit Astha Apartments. He was asked to certify the working conditions of seven lifts. In his report, Solanki submitted that defects were found in four of the lifts. Three lifts were stated to be in a working condition. As the case came up for resumed hearing, counsel for the petitioners, on instructions from the petitioners and other residents of Astha Apartments, said all four lifts of Phase II were lying shut and were not operational. Responding, counsel for the respondents stated that the lifts were in order, but had not been put into operation. It was in view of an order passed on September 12, 2018, by which direction was issued regarding inspection by the Executive Officer, Zirakpur, before operating the lifts. “It is shocking that in spite of the stand taken before this court that the lifts are now totally repaired and in a functional condition, these have not been opened to the residents on account of an order passed way back on September 12, 2018, which did not bar the respondents from getting the same verified and checked from the Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Zirakpur, for reasons best known. It appears that the same has been done only to harass the residents,” Justice Nirmaljit Kaur added. Accepting the request by counsel for the respondents to appoint two local commissioners to be present at the time of inspection by the Executive Officer, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur appointed two advocates Sarvesh Malik and Aditya Singh Chadha. They would accompany the Executive Officer during his visit to Astha Apartments. “Taking into account that the lifts are lying closed in spite of the same allegedly having been repaired and the respondents have not made any effort to get the same verified from the Executive Officer, MC, Zirakpur, a cost of Rs 10,000 shall be deposited with the Bar Council, Punjab and Haryana High Court,” Justice Nirmaljit Kaur added. Now, 19-year-old held with 500 gm of opium Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 27 In yet another arrest under the NDPS Act, the crime branch of the UT police nabbed a 19-year-old youth while possessing 500 gm of opium. This is the sixth arrest of a drug peddler by the crime branch in the past four days. A team, led by Inspector Amanjot Singh, in-charge of the crime branch, nabbed the Sixth arrest in four days by UT cops . suspect, Deepak Kumar, alias Deepu, a resident of Hisar district in Haryana. He was arrested from the Sector 19 police station area where a case under the NDPS Act was registered against him. The police said the opium, which was supposed to continued on p3 11 lost mobiles at music show 9,300 street vendors to get ~3,000 pension Five members of thieves’ gang arrested by Delhi Police MC all set to implement PMSYM scheme for unorganised sector workers Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 27 Eleven persons, including a Lieutenant Colonel, who had gone to watch Punjabi singer Babbu Maan’s live show at the Leisure Valley, Sector 10, on February 24, lost their mobile phones to pickpockets. A mobile phone was also stolen from a person at Rose Garden, Sector 16, during the Rose Festival the same day. Later, five members of the gang were arrested by the Delhi Police, who then informed the Chandigarh Police about their arrest. The police said mobile phones of 11 persons, who had arrived to watch the show, were stolen. The SUSPECTS BROUGHT ON TRANSIT REMAND The Delhi Police arrested five suspects and informed the UT police. “We took their transit remand and brought them to Chandigarh. The stolen mobile phones have been recovered from them,” said a police official. . thieves managed to steal the mobile phones from the pockets of the victims. Among those who complained to the police included Lt Col Sidhartha, a resident of Headquarters Western Command, SD Branch, Chandimandir Cantt, Panchkula, a student of DAV College, Sector 10, residing at a girls’ hostel, Salamat Ali, a resident of AKS Colony, Zirakpur, Ajay Kumar, a resident of Mirpur village, Dera Bassi, Jasvir Kumar, a resident of Saketri village, Panchkula, Pritpal Singh, a resident of Sector 20, Amandeep Singh, a resident of Khijrabad village, Mohali, Shivam Dhuria, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, Nayagaon, Vinod Kumar, a resident of small flats, Dhanas village, Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Phase IV, Mohali, and Gursewak Singh, a resident of Sector 55, Mohali. Meanwhile, the mobile phone of Manish Sharma, a Sector 27 resident, was also stolen during the Rose Festival at Rose Garden, Sector 16, on February 24. c m y b Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 27 In a major relief to them, over 9,300 street vendors will get a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 after the age of 60 as the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has decided to implement the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) scheme for unorganised sector workers under the age of 40 and earning up to Rs 15,000 every month. The MC is bringing the scheme for approval of the General House at its meeting to be held tomorrow. The Centre had announced the scheme in the Budget. The scheme entails a mini- mum monthly pension of Rs 3,000 after the age of 60 to its beneficiaries. While the UT Administration has directed all departments to implement the scheme for eligi- ble beneficiaries falling in their domain, the MC has been told to identify and implement the scheme for street vendors. The MC has around 9,300 registered street vendors. The scheme will cover unorganised workers, who are working or engaged as home-based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick-kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washermen, rickshaw-pullers, landless labourers, agricultural workers and construction workers among others. Only workers between the age of 18 and 40 can avail of the benefits of the scheme. Contribution from workers will change depending on the applicant’s age. Applicants at the age of 18 will have to contribute Rs 55, whereas workers at the age of 29 will pay Rs 100. Those in the upper age limit of 40 will have to pay Rs 220. The government will then contribute an equal amount as the workers. In case of permanent disability of a subscriber, his or her spouse will be entitled to continue with the scheme or exit by receiving the share of contribution with interest. In case of the death of a pensioner, his or her spouse shall be only entitled to receive 50 per cent of the pension.

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
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